Concrete-block-making machine.



I. A. FERGUSON.

CONCRETE BLOCK MAKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I5. I9I6.

Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

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CONCRETE BLOCK MAKINGMACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 15. 1916.

Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

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JOHN ALBERT FERGUSON, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

CONCRETE-BLOCK-MAKING MACHINE.

Application filed May 15, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. FERGUSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Denver, in the county of Denver, State of iolorado, haveinvented a new and useful improvement in Concrete Block Making Machines,of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to make a cheap efiicient concrete blockmaking machine, that will make the best kind of concrete with a fullwater saturatedmixture, and make the several peculiar styles of blocksrequired and be easily arranged to make the variations in blocks thatare needed to fill the requirements of given structure.

Reference will be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1. is a front elevation of the machine. Fig. 2. is a plan View.Fig. 3. is an end elevation. Fig. 4. is a transverse section through themolding form and table line l-- l of Fig. 6. Fig. 5. is a similar viewto that of Fig. t at one position of operation. Fig. 6. is a transverseView to that of Fig. at on line 6-6 of Fig. 3. Fig. 7. is a perspectiveView of one of the blocks made by the machine being the block used inthe straight body portions of the wall. Fig. 8. is a perspective View ofa block used at the corners of the wall. Fig. 9. shows the cornerblocks.

Concrete block machinery heretofore used has generally required amixture containing not too much water so that on removal from themachine the block would keep'its shape while the cement sets. Often notenough water is used and the blocks are defective and very porous,making a poor wall. The best concrete is made using plenty of water andI so design my blocks and machine that I can use just as plastic amixture as will insure the best results.

In the drawing 1 indicates the frame of the machine which is made in anysuitable manner and supports the main holding flask or mold form 2,which latter makes a part of the frame.

3 indicates the movable platen frame, which is only a frame work andsupports the bottom or follow boards 1. The platen frame 3 is supportedat its ends by blocks 5, supported in sliding contact with vertical rods6, in the frame. A bell crank shaft 7 journaled in the frame at thebottom is connected by levers 8 at hinges 9 to links Specification ofLetters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

Serial No. 97,651.

10, connected by hinge pins 11 to blocks 5 and frame 3, and actuates theframe 3 up and down as desired through the medium of the operating lever12 fixed at 13 to shaft 7 at the right end of the machine.

7 The lowest position of the platen frame 3 is indicated by the dottedline position shown in Fig. 3. On the back of flask member there arehinge pins 14 held in lugs 15 on the flask, and hinged to these pins byany suitable lugs 16 there are pocket or segment mold members 17provided with pocket or mold form spaces 18. The hinge lugs 16 of thepocket members 17 are slotted at 19 so that these mold members may bequickly lifted off and changed for others having variations in shape orlocation, of the pockets. Stop projections 20 are provided on themembers 17 for retaining the members 17 in position as indicated by Fig.5.

The members 17 that are shown in the figures have pockets of the formrequired to make blocks like that shown in Fig. 7. The blolclk of Fig. 8is used at a corner of the wa In the use of the machine the members 17are lifted as shown by Fig. 5 by means of a handle 33 and the table orplaten frame 3 is lowered as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 3, then abottom or follow board 1 is placed on the frame 3 and the whole islifted by lever 12 bringing the board up snugly under the open bottom ofthe mold frame 2, forming the bottom thereto, whereupon the concrete isfilled in and tamped as is indicated by 24 Fig. 5, while the members 17are in an upright position.

The concrete is a wet mixture of the best kind and the grouty portionssettling down on to the board forming a full filled smooth non-porousface for the blocks.

When the tamping is completed as inclicated in Fig. 5 the members 17 arelowered over the main mold frame 2 as is shown by the other figures andthen the concrete is filled into the pockets 18 and tamped down asindicated by 25 Figs. 4 and 6 forming a homogeneous connection with themain slab along the dotted line 26. When this tamping is completed thelever 12 is pulled forward lowering the frame 3 bottom board 1 and theblock with them, the latter coming out of the mold as the board goesdown, a slight taper to the sides of the mold facilitates the blocksmovement out of the molds. WVhen the frame 3 is down to dotted positionshown in Fig. 3. The board I with its burden of concrete is drawn out onthe eX- tension portions 27 of frame 3 and removed to a place of repose,the board t remaining under the plastic block until it sets sulficientlyto permit the board to be removed for further use. A number of boards 4being required to keep the machine in active operation.

The links 10 are adjustable in their length by threads 28 and nuts 29and when the lever 12 is thrown back bringing the links 10 and lever Son centerline, the board t will fit sufficiently tight under the moldform 2 as to prevent leakage of the grout along the bottom edges. Acounterbalancing weight 30 holds the lever normally in an uprightposition when shoved back to full line position in Fig. 3. Springs 31 onguide rods 6 cushion the stopping of the frame 3 on its downwardmovement. Adjusting screws 82 permit the adjustment of the links 10 andlevers 8 to get them in direct alinement for upward position ofregistration.

The wall made by my blocks is finished on the inside by the wooden ormetal lathing being secured to the inside faces of projections 22 and23, thus inclosmg hollow spaces between the projections.

The blocks as shown by Fig. 7 are shaped as to the location of theprojections so that every other layer may be laid up breaking the jointsat the ends and tying the wall together. The corner blocks being shapedto suit the requirements as shown by Fig. 9.

Surrounding the pockets 18 of the members 17 there are flanges 34c thatact as a table for the reception of the concrete to be filled into thepockets 18, and at the same time these flanges act as a cover for thebody of the main mold, not open to the pockets, to prevent the fillingfalling on to the main body portion of the block.

lVhen short blocks are to be made shorter than the length of the mainmold frame a division wall is placed into the main mold chamber thusdamming off the balance of the space. The dotted lines in Fig. 6indicate such a division wall.

lVhat I claim is 1. In a machine of the class described, a main moldform frame, a movable bottoming frame adapted to be raised and loweredunder the main mold form frame; with a set of removable forms hinged tothe main frame and adapted to be lifted clear of the main mold while thelatter is being filled and to be lowered and filled after the filling ofthe main mold form.

2. In a machine of the class described, a molding frame adapted to molda block with the outer or wall face dmvnward, a series of detachablemembers having mold pockets and adapted to be set over the main mold andfilled in a manner to build provertically moving supporting frame andadapted to be lifted by the frame into close contact with the bottom ofthe main mold to form a bottom thereto; with detachable mold membershinged to the frame and adapted to be moved in position over the mainmold and provided with mold form pockets adapted to be filled from thetop and open at the bottom whereby the filling of the pockets addsprojections on to the main molded body, meansv for lowering the movableframe, board and plastic block downward from the molds.

t. In a machine of the class described, a mold frame horizontallydisposed and open at the top and closed with a movable board at thebottom; a series of pocketed members detachably connected and adapted tobe adjusted over the top of the main mold frame.

5. In a machine of the class described, a main mold form horizontallydisposed, a series of mold pocket members hinged to the mold form byslotted hinge connections, to facilitate their removal and replacement.

-6. In a machine of the class described, a main mold form horizontallydisposed, a. series of mold pocket membersmounted in movable relation tothe top of the mold form and provided with pockets open at the top andthe bottom, with a movable frame carrying a movable bottom board, andmounted in adjustable relation to the bottom of the main mold form, andmeans for raising and lowering the movable frame for releasing theblocks from the frame.

7. In a machine of the class described, a mold frame adapted to befilled from the top and the finished block to be drawn from the bottom,a vertically moving frame mounted to move to and from the bottom of themold frame, links hinged to the frame and to a bell crank whereby theframe is moved, a movable bottom board on the movable frame and adaptedto close the bottom of the main mold, said links adjustable in theirlength for adjusting the fit of the bottom board to the mold frame.

8. In a machine ofthe class described, a mold form mounted horiz ontallyand adapted to be filled from the top and un loaded from the bottom, avertically moving bottoming frame mounted in suitable guides and adaptedto move in relation to the bottom of the mold, and close the same bymeans of a movable board carried on the frame; said frame moved by linksconnected to a bell crank and said links adjustable in their length andadjusted to close the bottom of the mold through the medium of the boardwhen the bell crank is at the summit of its travel whereby a position ofrepose is obtained.

9. In a machine of the class described, the horizontally disposed mainmold form, a movable frame mounted underneath the main mold form andadapted to reciprocate to and from the bottom of the mold, a link motionfor actuating a movable frame and adjusted to register its greatestupward movement when in a position of repose; with a counterbalancingweight adapted to hold the links in said reposed position.

10. In a machine of the class described, a

main mold frame horizontally disposed pockets whereby the main mold iscovered during the filling of the pockets.

Signed at the city to Denver, the county of Denver, the 8th May, 1916.

JOHN ALBERT FERGUSON.

Witnesses:

LEE C. BEAK, FRED F. DEHN.

@opies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

